"Amadeus" -- The Film

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  Amadeus  --   The Movie Version vs. Real Life 

Objectives:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of Mozart's life, his motivations, his style of music and some of the social and historical factors that influenced him and his music.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of how the Hollywood version of the movie Amadeus differs in accuracy from Mozart's real life.

You can earn extra credit points for this optional assignment by doing the following:

1. Read the article below, which comments on the accuracy of the movie Amadeus and its handling of historical facts then take the quiz for the reading.
   
2. Watch the movie, Amadeus, which is available on reserve in SCC Library. You can also rent it online or at your local video store (if still in existence). Also, check online at You Tube. When watching the movie, note the following significant points: 

• The rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. Why are they rivals?
• Who is Mozart the artist (child like personality, hard to deal with, lived beyond his means)
• What is the nature of his relationships with his wife father, the Emperor)
• Music and politics. How did the “Marriage of Figaro” stir class tensions.
• Von Walsegg passed off the Requiem as his own; it was finished by another composer.
• The movie inaccurately portrays Salieri commissioning the Requiem.
• Does Mozart’s music lack depth (too many notes)?
• Contexts of performance: opera for the elite vs. opera for the masses. In other words, what audiences did Mozart write for?

3. Take the quiz for the movie. 

Link   "Fact or Fiction: Historical Inaccuracies in the film 'Amadeus'" Links to an external site.